Motorcycle accident news30/06/2008

Beijing beckons for woman with motorcycle injury

An equestrian from the West Country who lost an arm in a 1985 motorcycle accident has been selected for the Paralympic Games this year, announced her local paper this weekend.

Previously, she has won individual, freestyle and team gold at the 2001 European Championships, the 2003 World Championships and the 2004 Athens Paralympics, all riding on a horse named Figaro IX. They are the first and only horse and rider pair to have won a gold treble consecutively in each of these competitions. However, she is taking a new horse to the Paralympics.

Her motorcycle injury in 1985 damaged her right arm and leg; although doctors were able to save the leg, she eventually made the difficult decision to amputate the arm in 2003. Her right leg has only half the strength of the left, and she wears a kneepad to protect the site of the personal injury.

However, the Taunton woman writes on her British Dressage biography that "The accident changed everything, in some ways for the better, but back then I did not see it that way." She says that she went to a riding school shortly after the motorcycle accident, and that her current success grew from there.

*Where replacement vehicle costs can be recovered from the insurance company of the person who caused the accident. Where this person is untraceable or uninsured, or where there is a dispute over liability, a replacement vehicle cannot be provided.

* A temporary replacement hire motorcycle or scooter can usually be provided within 24 hours where hire costs can be recovered from the insurance company of the person who caused the accident. If this person is untraceable or uninsured, or where there is a dispute over liability, it may not be possible to provide a replacement bike. Please do still call us though, as we will always do everything we can to help.

* If the leathers you are replacing are old or worn the insurance company may require you to make a contribution towards the cost of the new leathers. This is called betterment value and our experienced legal team will advise you on the reasonableness of any offers.